Sentence Complexity and Embedding

Subordination

Now that you have a better grasp of the structure of clauses and the structure of compound sentences, it is time to look at complex sentences. Complex sentences are a second subcategory of combined sentences and were discussed briefly in Chapter 3 when we considered the various types of sentences.  Before moving to some of the details of a complex sentence, let’s take another look at the types of sentences:

Fig. 10: Categories and subcategories of sentence complexity

The first step to take for a deeper understanding of the complex sentence is to remember the definition. A complex sentence is defined as a sentence with at least two clauses in it.  One of the clauses is the main clause, and the second is a subordinate clause.  The subordinate clause doesn’t make sense unless it is attached to the main clause.  Do Activity 14.1 to see if you can identify the two clauses in a complex sentence and distinguish which one is the main clause and which one is the subordinate clause.

Activity 14.1: Identifying Main and Subordinate Clauses

Each sentence below is a complex sentence.  Find the two clauses in each and draw vertical lines to set them off from each other (some sentences may need more than one line).  Then identify the main clause by highlighting it in red and identify the subordinate clause by highlighting it in blue.

1. While I was driving to work one day, I saw five wild turkeys in a parking lot.
2. We were watching a movie when the power went out.
3. Zoe told Cliff that she would pick him up at 11:00.
4. It was unclear whether the play would start on time.
5. Bret wants to meet Stephen Spielberg, who directed Jaws.
6. The song which they sang was my favorite.

Answers

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